Website Design and Online Marketing Course - Day 1

Early this morning I went to Sungai Petani, Kedah to attend a course on Website Design and Online Marketing. I blogged about it a few days ago and I can't believe  that the day finally came today for me to attend it. Actually, deep inside, I couldn't be more excited as I've never attended a course that is related to website design and online marketing before. So it's a pretty awesome feeling!!

My Mom and Aunt accompanied me there. As usual, they don't trust that I can go there all by myself.....especially my Mom who is always so worried that her daughter might get kidnapped along the way. LOL! But seriously, with all the crazy things happening these days.....who wouldn't be worried ya? So they dropped me there at the hotel and headed for their shopping activities in Sungai Petani. It's not always that they get to travel in that area.....so they took the chance to enjoy themselves at the shopping complexes while I get busy with the course hehehe. :)

The course was held at the Swiss Inn Hotel in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The person conducting the course was Mr. Robert Paragasam, the founder of Starz Smart Business. The course is actually a 2 days course, that starts from 10.00am till 6.00pm respectively. So today's course concentrated mostly on the Website Design. I couldn't be happier because this is something that I've always wanted to learn about. Honestly, I've always wanted to make my own website.....don't get me wrong....just because I want to learn how to make my own website does not mean that I will leave my blogs.......coz I do love blogging....it's just that I would love to take that next step for my online handmade card business. And today....that dream came true for me.  I must say that what I learned today was a real eye opener. I felt like all this time I was asleep.....sleeping while everybody else had their eyes wide open in the online world. Today, I was awaken. Finally.....asleep no more.

Here are the topics that we manage to cover from 10.00am till 6.00pm today:

1) Introduction to Online Businesses
2) Getting Your Own Domain and Web Hosting
3) Learning to to use Kompozer (Web Editor)
4) Learning to use FileZilla
5) Creating Your First Website and Uploading It
6) Working with Fonts
7) Working with Images
8) Embedding Videos
9) Making Your Website Receive Payments using Paypal
10) Creating a Professional Marketing or Corporate Website in Minutes

Basically, Robert's way of conducting the course was amazingly easy for me to comprehend. For people like me who are not that IT savvy, I must say, it was very well planned and straight to the point! He showed me how easy it was to build my own website. Of course, at first I had some problems remembering the steps....but with much practice, it was a fun thing for me to play with. I just love the fact that there is so much of freedom involved when we can build our own website. It's so liberating! 

I also wanted to share here how happy I am that I can now use PayPal!!! You have no idea how long I wanted to have this service at my business blog! I was so ignorant about it all this while until I came to know Robert and he was the one who helped me find my way with PayPal. All this time I never knew that I was suppose to make my debit card internet transaction enabled. Now that it's settled, how incredibly easy payments can be made through this wonderful service. I can now receive payments from customers from any part of the world! Super! 

I can't wait to learn about online marketing tomorrow!!!! Woooooohooooooo!

The Tree Top Walk

What a nice beautiful Thursday it is today! The weather so cool and breezy.......the rain....drizzling outside. I'm enjoying my coffee now.....if there was cream puffs to go along with that, it's even better. But on second thought....better not....as I'm trying to eat healthily now hehehehe.....

Since yesterday I kept thinking about The Tree Top Walk at Sungai Sedim........I was suppose to join my Mom and Aunt on that trip.....but because of work, I was not able to participate. They all had a great time there......but my Aunt does not want to go there again. When I asked her what was her reason......she said that the traveling sucks! The road was bad as well. But still, I want to go there......just once! I'll try to persuade my Mom to accompany me there one day heheheh.....hopefully I can go there this year. The tree top walk is actually situated in Kulim, Kedah. About 2 hours and a half drive from Alor Setar.

To get inside the area.....they had to pay for the entrance.....and the ticket costs RM10.00....but since most of them were senior citizens....they were able to get the tickets at a much cheaper price which was only RM6.00 each ehehehehe. But they had to be persuasive with the person in charge in order to get that price! hahahaha....the power of persuasion! LOL! 

I love looking at the river!!!! I want to dive in!!! Huhuhuhuhuhuhu! Wish I was there! But what to do....work beckons! I wonder if anyone recognize the fruits on that tree at the photo above.....it's a fig tree! Yup....but the fruits are not yet ready to be picked....still too young to be eaten.

It is actually a beautiful place to visit but unfortunately there is no maintenance. The place needs to be maintained for the public to have a much comfortable stay there. They didn't even know where to go and change into their bathing attire as there weren't any signs of a changing room anywhere in sight. Too bad ya? If only it was more accommodating to the visitors. But even so.....people still take the trouble to visit because it is such a beautiful place to go to. My advice would be to visit it early in the morning before it gets too hot!!!

Kenduri doa selamat

Phew! What a day!! I'm literally forcing myself to write an entry right now about what happened today.....even though I'm so sleepy and exhausted right now.... I thought to myself....by hook or by crook I gotta blog about it or else the feeling I'm feeling now won't be the same by tomorrow.....hehehehe.  So I have to release it now ;).

Very early this morning my Aunt, Mom and I had to prepare the new house and my Mom's house for a kenduri doa selamat. We still had to do some cleaning here and there at both houses to make sure everything was in order. Since my Aunt's new house is just a few meters away from my Mom's house we were able to do it at both places. The doa selamat at my Aunt's house and the kenduri at my Mom's house.We had to quickly get things done before the guests arrives at 9.30am.

Basically I had to take the day off from work today to help my Mom and Aunt with all this. Everything that's related to my work had to be put on hold for at least half the day. I thought that the kenduri will be over by 1.00pm, instead it ended for us around 4.00pm...... as usual, when it comes to things like this, it tends to extend beyond our plans. I was only able to have lunch at 3.30pm.......by then I was famished! I felt like my feet was going to break.....my body was aching all over.

We feel so blessed that a lot of people contributed to this kenduri. Most of my Mom's friends pitched in and provided a lot of kuih muih, fried meehoon, kerabu mangga, mineral water.....some even gave money. What a blessing! Everybody wanted to give and give. We really didn't expect to get so much. We were so happy that the guests had plenty to eat. No food was wasted as all that was not finished, were given away to guests and friends. The food was marvelous by the way. A special thanks to Faiz's Catering services.....hmmm too bad I didn't take photos of the food. I was kinda shy to do so in front of the guests hahahaha.

My Aunt also received a house warming gift from my Mom's friend......which I thought was super nice because it was handmade. You know how much I love handmade stuff!! hahaha.... It was a patchwork table table cloth for a square table. I adore it so much! Love the colors! Thank you Auntie Somchit for being such a sweetheart! What a lovely thought to make a table cloth as a housewarming gift!

 
My Aunt also received a bouquet  flowers from my Mom's "anak angkat" Nick.......thank you so much Nick for being such a sweetie!

I would like to thank all who has helped make this event a  successful one!! We all really appreciate it very much from the bottom of our hearts! God bless all of you!!!

Kedah International Hot Air Balloon Festival 2010

My Aunt and I went to Taman Jubli Emas, Jalan Suka Menanti, Alor Setar around 8.30 this morning to see the launching of the Kedah International Hot Air Balloon Festival 2010 which kicks off today till the 30th  of May 2010. We were suppose to reach there a lot earlier because it starts around 6.30am, but since something came up at the last minute, we couldn't go out when we were supposed to. You see, my Mom received a call from her friend early this morning saying that her mother had just passed away .....so my Mom and my Aunt went to pay their last respect. I didn't tag along because I was late getting ready.....so they went there without me. Half an hour after that... they came back home.....and my Aunt and I went straight to the festival.......she didn't even bother changing her clothes....she went there with her baju kurung  on hehehehe......and as we were about to reached there we saw most of the hot air balloons were already up in the air.

The weather was pretty hot and sunny. A great morning to for outdoor activities. :) A lot of people showed up.....we had to park our car by the road side and had a long walk to the festival area. I tell you....you can loose about 100grams of fat from the walk alone! LOL! With the hot weather.......it was like melting me away man! :P Luckily we went there in the morning.....I can't imagine being there in the afternoon. Steaming hot!

There were quite a lot of tents for retailers to sell their products and crafts too......all sorts of activities going on as well for adults and for kids. There were even those sporty recumbent tricycles for everyone to try....but you have to pay RM10.00 per ride......but it was only a 15 minutes ride.....I gave it a try and it was so much fun!!!! I had a blast!!! The instructor explained to me how to use the tricycle.....it had a gear....from 1-8 if I am not mistaken.....so I can control the speed....it was so cool! hehehe! I wanted to go for number one.....but he advised me not to.....he said better do 4th or 5th gear......and he was right!! It was most comfortable at that level. :)

I wish I can ride that tricycle a lot longer....it was so comfortable.....much more comfortable than riding my own bicycle hehehe..... :). But once you stop riding it, you are not allowed to quickly stand up as you might feel like fainting.......so you have to wait for a few minutes before getting up. I didn't know all that.....luckily the instructor warned me about it :). Otherwise I would have dropped down instantly! LOL!

Quess what we bought at the festival??? A lemon tree! ahahahhaa! I wanted to buy other lime trees....but naaaaaahhhhhh.......the lemon tree was enough laaaa.......it was only RM10.00 per tree.....a small one which I carried in that white plastic bag. :) The lemon tree is actually for my Aunt to plant at her new house. I hope it grows fast! I can't wait to taste the lemon from our own tree! LOL!

I was so sad that I was not able to get a ride on the hot air balloon......there were just too many people waiting in line to get that ride. I couldn't stand the heat anymore.......was about to faint! So, we just took photos and left hahahahaha.......maybe we will get a ride in it next time. Actually this event ends on the 30th.....but I'm not sure if I'll get to go there again before it ends......so...sigh...... :(

There was also para gliding event going on.....it was so cool getting to see them shoot off from the ground.....first time for me to see it live. Before this....I would only get to see this kinda thing on TV hehehehhe....yeah I know....I have not seen much of the world I suppose....need to go out more....LOL!

 The Sultan and the Sultanah of Kedah attended this event as well......I was able to see them from afar.....his daughter the Yang Teramat Mulia Tunku Panglima Besar Dato’ Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz is the patron of this festival.  You could see a side view of him sitting on the big yellow chair ...right next to the Sultanah :) After spending quite sometime there.......we could see them leaving the festival with the patrol bikes leading the way......

Well....I sure did have a great time there this morning :). I leave this entry with this beautiful photo view of me and the paddy field nearby the festival area.....hehehe :)